A look at the UK’s new 10p coins
Key Points
- The Royal Mint has released 7.1 million 10p coins bearing King Charles III's portrait.
- 600,000 are dated 2023 and 6.5 million are dated 2026.
- The reverse shows the Capercaillie, an endangered bird found only in the Scottish Highlands.
- It is the fourth denomination to carry the King's effigy after the 5p, 50p and £1.
- Queen Elizabeth II coins remain legal tender and stay in circulation.
The Royal Mint has released 7.1 million 10p coins carrying King Charles III’s portrait, the first 10p pieces to bear The King’s effigy.
The Mint confirmed on Tuesday (25 August) that 600,000 coins dated 2023 and 6.5 million dated 2026 are reaching bank and Post Office branches across the UK.
Rising demand for the 10p denomination prompted the release, with the 2023-dated batch struck in October of that year.
The 10p becomes the fourth denomination to enter circulation with the King’s portrait, following the 5p, 50p and £1 since 2022.
Coins bearing His Majesty’s effigy still make up only around 1% of the 24.142 billion coins circulating in the UK, which makes the new 10p pieces a target for collectors checking their change.
Why the Capercaillie?
The reverse of the coin shows a Capercaillie, a bird found only in the Scottish Highlands and now classed as a Red List species after a population decline that leaves it at risk of extinction in the UK for a second time.
More of the new 10p coins will enter circulation than there are Capercaillies left in the wild.
“This is a landmark moment for the nation’s coinage, as people begin finding the very first 10p coins bearing The King’s portrait in their change,” said Rebecca Morgan, Director at The Royal Mint.
“It’s a stark reminder that more of these coins will enter circulation than there are Capercaillies left in the wild,” she added.
The design comes from an illustration by artist Mike Langman, whose bird work still appears across RSPB nature reserves and the organisation’s website.
It forms part of the Definitive collection, a set inspired by the flora and fauna of the British Isles that The Royal Mint revealed in October 2023. A repeating pattern of three interlocking Cs, drawn from the cypher of Charles II, unifies the coins in the range.
Banks and Post Office branches nationwide will hand out the new 10p coins over the coming weeks, and tills at the Royal Mint Experience visitor attraction in South Wales will also stock a quantity.
All UK coins carrying the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender and stay in active circulation.
